I heard from a lot of girls that they had the back-to-school scaries and I felt it too. Getting into the swing of things can be difficult after break (and now a snow day).

So I decided to make a list of all the resources I had for girls to help make their transition easier, but it turned into a moment where I began to reflect on what I have created. It reminded me of when I used to choreograph for dance. I would hear music and be able to see how I wanted everyone to move in my mind. After months of practice, it was complete on stage. What was once in my head, had become something greater than myself with the help of others. It conjured awe and that’s what looking at my mentoring practice feels like for me. I am in awe.

Last spring while I finished up school, I started to babysit a precocious two year old. I would try (and fail) to define awe. When we would look at the clear New York City skyline from Hoboken, I’d try to convey awe in terms of wonder. One night we chased a big full moon. Awe in terms of vastness. How I wouldn’t see him for a week and by the next time I was over, he’d have all these new words in his vocabulary. Awe from being amazed. This is what I feel when I look at the girls I’ve mentored. The feeling of being blown away, largely thanks to all of you.

I encourage everyone to seek out moments of wonder, not only because it feels good, but studies have even found, “connections between the experience of awe and enhanced critical and creative thinking faculties, improved health, a sense of embeddedness into collective folds and an increase in pro-social behaviours such as kindness, self-sacrifice, co-operation and resource-sharing,” (Psychology Today).

I’ve wanted to write this for awhile now and since it’s the beginning of November, I felt it was appropriate to say thank you. I’m so grateful for all of your encouragement as I build this community to help raise happy girls. To my students, thanks for letting me be your big sister! To all the moms, thank you for allowing me to guide your girls. I don’t take it for granted. Your support, whether it’s a referral or always trying to feed me when I come over, is more meaningful than you know. It takes a village! Thank you for allowing me to pursue my dream!

In the spirit of being an ever-growing mentor, I’d love to hear from you. What topics would you like me to cover? Got a group idea? Any questions for me? Feel free to let me know how I can best serve!

The phrase “stay in your own lane” can be another way to tell someone to mind their own business, but today, I’m talking about it as if you’re saying it to yourself. It’s this phrase that I repeat when I find myself putting a lot of energy into others, which inevitably takes away from some of my own magic. Check out today’s video for more insight!

Everyday my students tell me how stressed out they are and I totally get it. We have so much going on that it can be hard to do everything. The amount of questions I get about finding balance are on an all time high, but what interests me is my student’s shift into anxiety and its relationship to worthiness, deserving, and feeling good enough. Stress and anxiety are all things that EVERYONE faces, but what helps? My secret:

Mentorship and meditation.

These two things together helped me realize that I’m enough as I am. I don’t need anything on the outside (likes on Insta, cool friends, a hot boyfriend) to feel like I’m worthy on the inside. Allowing myself to be mentored has opened me up to hearing the, “Me Too,” or knowing that everything I’m going through is normal and human. It’s helped me get to know myself. Girls come to me all the time feeling like they need to be fixed. You’re not broken. There’s nothing wrong with you. Your fears are normal.

The second secret is meditation. You can’t get to know yourself if you’re not able to sit with yourself. Meditation is recharging. It’s a way to find peace in chaos, but you need to work it in order for it to work for you. Girls feel like it’s hard to meditate, but that’s a myth. Want to build a meditation practice? Below is my meditation playlist on Spotify (which all my students ask me about). Some songs are upbeat for energy. Some are softer to calm you down. Pick a song and focus on your breath for the entirety. Everyday is different so sometimes it will be easy to sit; somedays it’ll be hard. Thoughts start to drift? Totally okay! Come back to focusing on your breath. Try to meditate once a day for 21 days. You’ll be surprised how much you crave your meditation time once it becomes part of your routine.

In honor of the Prep Programs starting next week, I wanted to share the “What I Wish I Knew” series from last year with you. I love the blogs because these moments are big in girl’s lives and I’m so grateful to be a resource.

Girls in my group have been asking a lot about popularity. Feeling the pressures of wanting to be popular is something I’ve struggled with, so I totally get it! Click the video to find out my tips for navigating popularity!

Taking the SAT was one of the most miserable experiences of my high school career, but it didn’t HAVE to be. I MADE them terrible. I put tons of stress on myself, told myself I couldn’t do it, and felt like everything in the world depended on my test scores. There’s no way you can perform your best when you’re stressed out and when we do stress we energetically block ourselves from achieving what we want. In this video I share my tips for stressing less over the SAT. You’re totally capable of doing well on this test and I want to help you!